Every Spiritual Blessing

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of God’s grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

Ephesians 1: 3-10

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“The Apostle tells us that because God chose us, we have been richly blessed! God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Eph 1:3)….

God chose and blessed us for a purpose: to be holy and blameless in his sight (Eph 1:4). He chose us, each of us to be witnesses of his truth and his justice in this world. He created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it. But through sin, man has disfigured that natural beauty; through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family…. Sometimes, when we see the troubles, difficulties and wrongs all around us, we are tempted to give up…. But the Bible tells us that the great threat to God’s plan for us is, and always has been, the lie. The devil is the father of lies…

We forget to remain focused on the things that really matter. We forget to remain, at heart, children of God. That is sin: forget, at heart, that we are children of God. For children, as the Lord tells us, have their own wisdom, which is not the wisdom of the world. That is why the message of the Santo Niño is so important. He speaks powerfully to all of us. He reminds us of our deepest identity, of what we are called to be as God’s family.

When the Christ Child came into the world, his very life was threatened by a corrupt king. Jesus himself needed to be protected. He had an earthly protector: Saint Joseph. He had an earthly family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. So he reminds us of the importance of protecting our families, and those larger families which are the Church, God’s family, and the world, our human family. Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.

It was a frail child, in need of protection, who brought God’s goodness, mercy and justice into the world. He resisted the dishonesty and corruption which are the legacy of sin, and he triumphed over them by the power of his cross...."

Pope Francis

Manila, 18 January 2015

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Today is the second anniversary of the day our Mom went to heaven and in some ways I feel more like a frail child rather than a woman who knows that she has been richly blessed.  I do believe that our Lord has helped Mom triumph over sickness and death by the power of His death and resurrection.

Please join me in giving thanks to God—and to Mom—for the gifts of life, love, and faith.  She was our first teacher and passed on a legacy of prayers, hymns, Slovak and family traditions which we embrace and share to this day.  Mom read to us and encouraged our love for books and reading.  She taught us to play games:  jacks, hopscotch, cards (Go Fish!), board games (remember Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders?)  Mom patiently instructed us in the fine art of sewing, knitting, crocheting and assorted crafts.  She shared her love of music, flowers and gardening, cooking and preserving our produce.  (Please be sure to read a very interesting and beautiful article on "The hidden power of manual work" at the Women's Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity website:  http://www.laici.va/content/laici/en/sezioni/donna/tema-del-mese/giugno2015.html)

Mom and Dad will always be in our hearts as well as in heaven gazing at the loveliness of the Lord.  They richly shared with our family God’s love and grace and made us feel protected.  They passed along traditions, talents and life lessons which focused on truth and beauty which extended to our wider Church and human family.

How is the Holy Spirit empowering me/you/us to share specific blessings we have received?  Who has God placed in our lives so that we may witness to them the beauty of our faith and of all His creation? 

Mary, Seat of Wisdom, guide us in the way to bring to all those we meet the blessings and graces we have lavishly received through your beloved Son.

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